A Cupid Named Matthew
by shnuffeluv
Summary: AU Matthew is your typical 5 year old boy: hyperactive, boyishly charming...matchmaker! When Molly's son Matthew decides to get her together, things don't exactly go where he expects them to. Especially when Matthew's dad enters the scene and tries to get him on his side, which could wind up having more costs than benefits...Mollcroft. Based on a prompt from Empire of Fiction.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Right then, I have a request now, that I decided to make a multi-chapter instead of putting it in The Mollcroft Files. In a PM from Empire of Fiction, there was this adorable beauty:**

Could I possibly request a Molly/Mycroft fic in a AU where Molly has a young child that accidentally bumps into Mycroft when he goes to the morgue to go check on Sherlock and the young child decides to do whatever they can to make sure Molly and Mycroft end up together. I've had the idea for a while now but don't really know where to start in terms of writing it. I was wondering if you could have any luck with the idea :)

**Much fluff ahead! This is gonna be so fun!**

Mycroft was grumbling as he strode down to the morgue that one fateful day. According to his surveillance, Sherlock had been spending an unusual amount of time in the morgue lately. And to make matters worse, he had to leave an important meeting to make sure Sherlock was okay. He was so busy in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the 5-year-old sprinting at him until it was too late. The boy collided with Mycroft's legs and both of them wound up sprawled on the floor. Mycroft cursed under his breath reflexively, then checked to make sure the child didn't hear. Thankfully, he seemed not to. The child sat up, rubbing his head. "Sorry mister!"

Mycroft started to get up and dust himself off. "What are you doing in a morgue? You seem a little young to be here by yourself. Where's your parents?"

The boy shrugged. "Don't know where my dad is. But my mum is working, and there wasn't any school today, so she let me come in to see her job."

Mycroft huffed. "Well, why aren't you with her, then?"

The boy stared at him, not responding. Mycroft felt his impatience rising. "Look, I'm heading to the morgue now. What do you say I walk you back there?"

The boy smiled and nodded. Mycroft took the time they were walking back to get a good look at him. His hair could use a good cut, and was somewhere between brown and blonde, but couldn't be called either way. His eyes were green, and taking in everything around him, including Mycroft. When they entered the morgue, Mycroft saw Sherlock doing an experiment with a jar of eyeballs (he didn't want to know,) and the pathologist…Molly, her name was, looking around frantically. The boy ran up to her and she looked down, relieved. "Matthew, where have you been?!"

Matthew didn't seem to notice her panicked tone and said, "I went out to go to the vending machine and get a snack, but I accidentally ran into this guy, and I don't know his name, but he was coming here for some reason, I don't know why but he looks really important, so it must be important too, and-"

Molly put a hand over his mouth and said, "Don't you ever run off on me again, all right? Next time you want a snack, ask me first. I didn't know where you were, what would have happened if you got really hurt?" She looked up at Mycroft. "Thank you so much, Mr. Holmes, for bringing him back."

Sherlock looked up at that. "Mycroft, what are you doing here?"

Mycroft looked over to him irritably. "I came here because of you. You've been here an awful lot lately. May I ask why?"

"No."

Mycroft scowled. "Sherlock, it has come to the attention of certain people who could ban you from coming here that you make frequent comings and goings. In order to keep them off your back, I need to know why you're coming here."

Sherlock shrugged. "Too bad."

Mycroft looked like he might crush his umbrella's handle in his grip. Molly cut in before there would be a shouting match. "Sherlock has been trying to recreate human body parts without using any that have been already made. In order to do that he has to learn everything he can about them."

Mycroft looked over at her and nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Hooper."

Matthew looked between Molly and Mycroft, realizing that they seemed a lot alike. That decided, he made a plan: he knew Molly was sad and wanted a boyfriend, no matter what she did to try and convince him otherwise, and maybe she and this Mr. Holmes guy could work, since they both seemed protective and like they were lonely, even if they didn't seem to know it.

_That settles it, _he decided. _I'm going to get them together whatever it takes!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: 5 year olds can be real stupid sometimes. Just saying.**

Mycroft left and Matthew got a scolding about running off, but Molly had to do some work after that, so she left him to his own devices. Matthew grabbed a stool and sat next to Sherlock. "Mr. Sherlock, who was that?"

"My brother, Mycroft. Why?"

"He seems a lot like Mum."

Sherlock snorted. "No, your mum is nicer. Mycroft's the most irritating man on the planet, the fatty."

Matthew laughed. "How's that different from Mum?"

Sherlock looked over at him quizzically. "Why do you even care?"

"…They both seem so lonely. Maybe they could…could…" Matthew didn't know how to describe what he wanted to say. "Maybe they could be lonely together?"

Sherlock's eyes lit up in understanding. "You think they should go out together?"

Matthew nodded. Sherlock smiled. "I'm in. I'd love to see Mycroft make a fool of himself. How do you think we should get them together?"

"I'm not sure. But first, we've gotta make them friends, or at least friendly, right?"

Sherlock nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we could stage a chance meeting?"

Matthew looked at him blankly for a minute before saying slowly, "There's this little café that me and Mum go to a lot and like. Would that count?"

"Yeah, I think. I could set up a lunch with him there on the same day you go."

"We eat lunch there every other Saturday. Would 3 days be enough time for you?"

Sherlock nodded and stuck out his hand. "You have yourself a partner."

Matthew shook the hand and smiled.

* * *

Matthew and Molly were standing in line at the café on Saturday when they heard a familiar voice on the phone behind them. Matthew turned around and smiled. "Hey, you're the man who walked me back to the morgue Wednesday!"

Mycroft looked down at him, irritated, before snapping on last thing into his phone and hanging up. "Yes…Matthew, isn't it?"

Molly looked at who Matthew was talking to and was quick to apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Holmes. Matthew, don't bother the man!"

Mycroft smiled thinly. "No, it's fine, Ms. Hooper. My brother arranged a meeting here today, and some problems popped up at the office after I left. I'm just stretched a bit thin. You haven't seen him enter, by any chance?"

Molly shook her head apologetically. "No, sorry."

"You could sit with us until he gets here!" Matthew offered.

"Matthew!"

Mycroft held up a hand. "No, it's fine. I'd actually appreciate the company."

The three of them ordered their food and sat at a booth in the corner. Matthew was the one to break the ice. "So what do you do at your job?"

Mycroft just shrugged indifferently. "It's not very interesting. I just hold a small position in the government."

"…So, what do you do?"

"Boring things like parking regulations and security."

Matthew nodded. "My job is being a kindergartener. It's hard work sometimes. I'm really good at maths, but I'm bad at letters."

"So, if you're good at maths, what's 20 minus 17?"

Matthew answered without hesitation. "3."

"Very good," Mycroft said appreciatively.

Molly took a sip of tea before saying, "He gets his smarts from his dad. Worked in IT for a little while before getting transferred."

Mycroft recognized the story about Moriarty when he heard it, and just nodded in a way that said, _don't worry, your secret is safe._

Molly smiled gratefully. Matthew looked between the two. They were sort of talking. But sort of wasn't good enough. "Mum, can I go to the bathroom?"

"Yes, but be quick."

Matthew left the booth in hopes they'd strike up a conversation with him gone. Plus, he _really_ had to go to the bathroom. He was washing his hands when he saw a man with black eyes and hair wearing a white tee, jeans, beat up sneakers, and a neon green cap walk in. He came over to Matthew and asked, "Are you Matthew Hooper?"

"Yes," Matthew said, not sure about this strange man who knew who he was, but he shoved the feeling aside, favoring curiosity instead. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I've been looking for you for 5 years! I suppose you wouldn't recognize me, would you? I'm your dad."

Matthew's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah." The man removed colored contacts to reveal striking green eyes. "You have my eyes. I'd recognize those anywhere."

Matthew smiled. "Wow! Why haven't you visited before?"

"I never knew where you were. So imagine how happy I felt when I recognized your mother standing in line with you!"

Matthew smiled. "Nice to meet you! What's your name?"

"James Moriarty. Though most people call me Jim."

Matthew stuck his hand out and Jim shook it. Matthew dug around in his pockets and pulled out a scrap of paper and a pencil stub. "I'd like to talk to you more, but Mum said that I needed to be quick, she'll get worried."

"Sounds like your mum. Tell you what, if you give me an address for the mailbox you use, I'll send you a letter and you can use the return address to mail me back, and we could be pen pals!"

Matthew nodded and quickly wrote down his address the best he could. "I'm not very good with letters, I'm better with numbers," he apologized.

"Me too! It's okay, I can read it. I'll send you a letter by the end of the week, okay?"

Matthew nodded. "Thanks! Is…it okay if I call you dad?"

Jim smiled. "I'd love that, Matt."

Matthew smiled at the nickname and walked out of the bathroom, pleased to see Molly and Mycroft were talking pleasantly together. He walked up and Molly glanced over at him, giving him room to sit before returning to the conversation. That's when Sherlock decided to walk in and steal Mycroft back. "Mycroft, where have you been? I've been waiting next door for 15 minutes!"

"Next door? You must have sent me the wrong address." He turned back to Molly. "Sorry, looks like I have to go. Could we continue this conversation later? Over dinner, maybe?"

Molly smiled. "Sure. It's a date. I can get someone to babysit Matthew."

"I don't need to be babysat!"

"Watched, then." Molly said as she rummaged through her purse, pulling out her phone. "Here's my number…when should I expect you?"

"Does seven work?"

"Seven's perfect." She got his phone number and smiled as he left. Matthew smiled. This might just work out!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, interested yet? I hope so, this was really fun to write! Let's continue on, see how that date goes…and why Jim is so interested in Matthew!**

At 7, Mycroft knocked Molly's front door, and Molly finished her makeup, explaining to the baby-sitter that Matthew's bedtime was 8:30, and no later or else he'd never get to sleep. Then she was gone out the door, and Matthew was left alone with a girl who was nice but in no way interesting enough to keep his attention. He went to his room and rummaged around in the mess for materials for a prank. He always loved pranking his babysitters, and Molly was none the wiser when she came back. He looked around, and finding nothing good enough in the usual places, he reached under his bed and pulled out his Epic Prank Book. "Hm…maybe…Number 62 tonight. Okay, I'm gonna need baking soda, vinegar, a bottle, and a balloon."

He got everything together and shook the bottle before running up to his babysitter. "Luuucy! Lucy!"

The girl turned around at his screams and pulled him into a hug. "What is it? What's wrong?!"

"Th-there's a ghost in the bathroom!"

Lucy took a step back and smiled. "A ghost, huh? I'll have you know I'm an expert ghost catcher! Let's go see it and see if it'll leave on its own, and if it doesn't, I'll make it leave!"

Matthew smiled innocently up at her. "You will?"

"Of course! Now, where's the bathroom?"

Matthew led her to it, and as soon as she opened the door, the balloon popped off the bottle and flew everywhere. The poor girl screamed and Matthew laughed his head off. Lucy turned around, red in the face and extremely mad, but when she saw Matthew laughing cutely with tears at the corners of his eyes, she couldn't help but laugh too. Matthew smiled. This one was just as easy to get on his side as the rest. After that they played board games until 8:00, when Matthew compliantly got ready for bed and listened for when Molly opened the door and the babysitter left. At around 9:45 he heard her walk up the steps and come into his room. She kissed his forehead, giggling a little as she did so.

When she left, Matthew smiled. If she was laughing, the date must have gone really well! He snuggled under his blankets some more. First his babysitters, and now his mum, he was getting better at using people to his advantage without them knowing. Of course, he'd never use that to hurt his mum, she needed someone to be with and he was making that happen. Nothing wrong with that…

Right?

* * *

Monday Matthew got a letter in the mail. He took it up to his room to read it, and made sure to be careful not to tear the envelope. Inside it said,

_Matthew, if you are reading this then you wrote your address correctly. Good for you! If this isn't Matthew, please close this letter now and mark it "return to sender," as this letter is for my son's eyes only. Okay, are we alone now? Good. I hear that you're trying to get your mother a boyfriend, Matt. I'm glad for that. She hasn't been serious about pretty much anyone since she met me, and I'm happy for her. But if you want this to work out, you're going to need my help. Write me back telling me what you know and I'll tell you what to do._

_Write to you soon,_

_Dad_

Matthew smiled at the letter and put it back in the envelope. He went over to his desk and started to write a letter on a new piece of paper.

_Dad,_

_I told you I'm not good at leters, but I'm trying extra hard for you. I know the guy went on a date with her Saturday, and that his name is Mycroft. Isn't that wierd? But he seems a lot like Mum, so I think they could work out. I don't know how old he is, but he's older than Mum. Not as old as Grandma, thoh._

_Is that enuff? I don't know any more, but I could find out if you need me to. Please write soon!_

Matthew signed his name and found an envelope and stamp. He filled out everything else himself, and stuck it in the mailbox. Molly asked him, "Who are you writing that letter to?"

"Dad. I'm hoping to get to figure out who he is."

Molly laughed and said, "Well, don't count on him replying. I've been waiting 5 years for an answer to my last question to him."

Matthew just shrugged noncommittally and asked, "So I never asked how you liked that guy Saturday night."

"Oh, Mycroft was really nice. A complete gentleman. I'm going to have to go out with him again sometime."

Matthew smiled and said, "Good. I hope you'll stop being lonely now, Mum."

"I'm not lonely, Matthew. I have you."

Matthew laughed but he knew the truth: she was lonely. And he was going to do everything in his power to fix that.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I has another update, folks! Time skip on this one, so beware!**

Molly and Mycroft had been going out for two months now, and Molly rarely felt upset anymore, not even when she caught Matthew preparing pranks for Mycroft when he came over. It was a Friday night and Molly was running late for her date with Mycroft. She rushed to get everything done, and didn't give a second glance towards the babysitter as she left. She quickly caught a cab to go to the restaurant, and fiddled with her purse all the way there. She kept on thinking that she was forgetting something, but for the life of her she couldn't remember what. She got to the restaurant, and smiled as she saw Mycroft waiting for her in an impeccable 3-piece suit.

They walked in, but instead of eating, tonight there was a ball being held. They walked over to the dance floor, and after making introductions, stepped out onto it. A waltz began to play as if on cue, and they swayed to the music a bit before truly dancing. Mycroft watched Molly the entire time, and halfway through the next melody asked, "What's wrong, love?"

"It's probably nothing," Molly started, "But I feel like I've forgotten something really important, and I can't put my finger on it."

"Well, could we dance a while longer before you try and figure it out, or is it really important?"

"I…I suppose it could wait until I got home…"

Mycroft smiled and kissed her lightly. "I was hoping you'd say that," he whispered.

They danced well into the night, and when finally both of them were too tired to dance even one more time, they went outside where a car was waiting for them. Mycroft had insisted that he come home with Molly, in case the problem was something big she'd need help dealing with. On the way, Molly snapped her fingers and said, "That's it! I saw Matthew with a box of letters earlier today. Only thing is, I don't know who's writing him, and why."

"He might just be writing himself and keeping the letters he sends for later," Mycroft proposed. "I did that when I was around his age."

Molly just shook her head. "Either way, I'd like to check when we get back, while I remember."

Mycroft nodded and wrapped an arm around her. When they got back, Molly paid the babysitter, and Mycroft took a closer look at him, feeling that he was familiar, but the green eyes kept him from drawing any conclusions. They went up to Matthew's room, Molly explaining, "Matthew does this thing, where whenever he wants to keep something important or personal safe, he hides it under his bed. The box should be under there."

They went into his room silently, but when Molly got close and reached under Matthew's bed, he groaned softly and shifted so one of his arms draped protectively over the empty space. But Molly knew she could easily move it around him, and if he wanted to keep up this ruse of being asleep, he couldn't do anything about it. She pulled the box out and she and Mycroft walked out into the hallway to look at the letters. Molly pulled one out of the envelope and gasped. Mycroft snatched it as it fluttered out of her grip to the ground and took a closer look at it. "It's him. I'd recognize that handwriting and writing style anywhere."

Molly choked out a sob, then realized Matthew could hear them, and pulled Mycroft to her bedroom, where there conversation would at least be muffled. She closed the door behind her, and walked over to her bed slowly, wrapping Mycroft in a hug to seek comfort as he pulled out more of the letters. They were dated, and Mycroft went through them all, trying to find the earliest one. "These started two months ago, the Monday after we started dating," he whispered.

Molly started crying, but started going through the letters too, needing to know exactly what damage had been done to her son by Jim. She read through them, and all of a sudden isolated incidents started coming together. Every time a guy who wasn't close started to get a little too friendly with Molly, all the new pranks Matthew was making, even how interested he was in her relationship with Mycroft, he was trying to get them together, and he was using Jim every step of the way for advice.

"He must have made contact that day Matthew used Sherlock to get us to meet up."

"How can you be so calm about this?!" Molly snapped. "I hoped Matthew would never have to meet that psychopath, and now I see that he's been talking to him behind my back for months!" She broke into tears again. Mycroft hugged her tightly, trying to offer comfort he didn't know how to give.

When Molly finally calmed down, she murmured, "We have to do something about this."

Mycroft nodded and kissed the top of her head. "And he knows we know, there's no use pretending we don't. But what do you say we should do?"

Molly shook her head. "I don't know, I don't know! If he's kept this from me, what else could he be hiding?"

Mycroft gave her a squeeze and sighed. "I don't either. Tomorrow he doesn't have school, but you have work, right? Take him with you again, keep a close eye on him."

Molly nodded. "All right. Maybe I can talk to him, too."

Mycroft smiled. "There. Now we at least have a plan. Let's take it from there, see how tomorrow works out."

Matthew heard every word and clenched his fists tight. His dad wasn't a psychopath, he was actually really nice! They weren't going to change his mind tomorrow. Jim had been his babysitter tonight, and told him a plan to make sure Molly and Mycroft got together forever. All he needed to do was rest; everything would be in place at Bart's the next day when he got there.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: 'Kay, I added suspense, and I'm sorry if this isn't going to way any of you expected, I was trying to keep this short, so there isn't a whole lot of exploration of any of the characters. But if you ever want little extra scenes that could go in here but didn't, remember, I have an entire fic dedicated to one-shots, and I take requests, soooo…not the end of the world, you could just ask.**

Matthew woke up the next morning with knots in his stomach, but he knew he'd have to face Molly sooner or later, so he got dressed and grabbed his backpack to do his homework while Molly was busy working, and walked out of his room, forcing a yawn, even though from the moment he opened his eyes he was wide awake. He walked downstairs and saw Molly was already making breakfast. He put his backpack next to his spot at the table and walked into the kitchen, grabbing milk from inside the fridge and climbing up on to the counter, grabbing a glass, and pouring the milk into it. He put the jug back and took the glass to his table spot, while Molly came out soon after with two slices of toast with peanut butter and two slices plain, giving the peanut butter to Matthew.

"We don't have a lot of time before I have to get to work," she explained. "Sorry if it messes up your plans."

"What plans? I'm fine as long as I'm with you, Mum."

Molly smiled but her eyes betrayed her worry. Matthew quickly finished the milk and toast, and once Molly was done they were both heading outside. Molly was pinning her ID on her lab coat as a cab slowed and pulled up to them. Molly didn't even give it a second thought, but Matthew saw that the cab driver was, in fact, Jim. He gave the signal and Jim nodded. Molly looked over at him concerned. "Matthew, we need to talk."

Matthew looked over at her, asking, "What's to talk about?"

"Your dad, for one thing."

Matthew bristled. "He's not a bad guy, he's nice."

"Matthew, take it from someone who knew him. He's not nice, he's a criminal."

Matthew glared at her. "He _is _nice! He just wants to get to know me!"

"No, Matthew, just listen to me for a second-"

"No."

"He tried to kill Sherlock and his friends; if he had gotten away with it, only you and me would have been left!"

Matthew looked out the window and didn't acknowledge her the rest of the ride there. When they finally got to Bart's the driver wouldn't accept her money, saying, "You have more things to worry about right now than how much to pay a cab," and drove off.

Molly turned back around to find Matthew already walking in without her. She rushed after him and grabbed his hand. "You're not going anywhere without letting me know first, young man. Normally I could trust you, now I'm not so sure."

Matthew scowled but couldn't get out of Molly's grip until she let him. He went over to his designated spot and started to do homework, while Molly got ready for the day. Mycroft called her just as she was preparing the first body. "How's it going?"

"Not good, Matthew seems to be convinced that his dad is actually some misunderstood guy who wants to know his son better."

There was a long silence on the end of the line before Mycroft finally said, "I don't know what to do about that, do you?"

Molly shook her head as she said, "No, I think by this point the only way he'll learn that is the hard way."

"That's not a very good way to learn at all."

"No, it's not. Mycroft, what do I do?"

Mycroft sighed. "Let him learn it. Just make sure he stays alive after the fact."

Molly took a few deep breaths after she canceled the call. Then she finished preparing the body and started the autopsy. Hours passed in awkward silence between her and Matthew until it was noon. Molly glanced at her watch. "Matthew, if you want something to eat, I'll trust you to go to the vending machine down the hall to hold you over until we can head to the canteen together. I shouldn't have much more to do on this body, so maybe…15-20 minutes until we can have lunch sound okay?"

Matthew nodded and Molly handed him a pound. Before he went to the vending machine, though, he made a quick stop to the bathroom, following his dad's instructions to the letter: push the red button on the box, curl under the sink away from the door, and then wait for him to come so they could leave together and never have to come back. He smelled the smoke before the fire alarm went off. The explosion was small, not even noticeable if you weren't paying attention, but the fire would spread quickly and cause lots of smoke. Molly wouldn't get hurt, he figured, she'd get out before then, and in the commotion he and Jim could slip away and never be seen again.

He just hoped Jim would hurry up, he could already feel the heat approaching.

* * *

Molly was wrapping up the paperwork on the body when she thought she smelled smoke. She walked up to the lab, and saw fire spreading across the tables. Molly quickly pulled the fire alarm and went to find Matthew, but the fire reached some flammable chemicals, causing a second explosion that sent her flying. She thought her lab coat might be on fire, but she barely thought about it as she realized Matthew was nowhere to be seen; she had passed the vending machine while following the smell of smoke. She got up and started screaming his name. "MATTHEW! MATTHEW!" She choked on the smoke which was thickening quickly. She heard footsteps from behind her, but they were too big to be Matthew's. She started to head to the morgue, yelling Matthew's name all the way. The man came from behind her and started to pull her back. "No! My son! He's still here! I need to get him out! MATTHEW! Let go of me! I need to find my son!"

The man wouldn't listen as he dragged her out of the building, coughing and screaming. When she was outside she was given an oxygen mask, and she saw Mycroft walking over to her. She tried to get the mask off, but someone put it back on. "You need to keep the mask on, miss."

Mycroft knelt down next to her. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"

Molly forced the mask off and in between coughs, said, "Matthew. Matthew's still in there!"

The man made her put her mask on, but Mycroft immediately stood up and went to talk to one of the nurses who had evacuated. After a minute of discussion, Mycroft got an oxygen mask and tank from her, and slinging the piping from the tank to the mask around himself a couple times to secure it, ran into the hospital against the protests of the firemen. _I just hope I'm not too late,_ he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Muahahahaha! Did I get you guys? I really enjoy writing this, and don't worry, we definitely have some chapters after this one, so don't fret if the ending of this chapter seems like…well…the end. There is more. *evil smile***

Mycroft was running through the halls almost as fast as his brain was running through possible places Matthew could be. Jim would want him to stay put, he couldn't have a child running out of the fire and confessing to everything when he had realized what he'd done. And Molly said Matthew had gone to the vending machine for a snack, so he couldn't be on a floor other than the morgue. Suddenly an idea struck him: he's probably in one of the bathrooms. He made his way to the stairs and nearly fell over coughing as he opened the doors. Of all the things that had to aggravate his asthma, it had to be smoke. Of course. He forced his way down the stairs, wheezing heavily as he finally got to the morgue. He felt the door handle. Hot. _Very_ hot. He loosened his tie and used it as a make-shift oven mitt. It didn't work very well.

He stumbled into the hallway and nearly choked on the combination of heat and smoke. He headed toward the bathroom nearest to the morgue, and as he got closer he heard a child crying and singing something softly like a chant. "_Où t'es, papa où t'es? Où t'es, papa où t'es? Où t'es, papa où t'es? Où, t'es où, t'es où, papa où t'es?"_

Mycroft translated it in his head without even thinking: _Where are you, Dad, where are you? Where are you, Dad, where are you? Where are you, Dad, where are you? Where, where are you, where are you, Dad, where are you?_ Mycroft realized that must be Matthew singing, and followed the sound to the men's room. He saw Matthew curled up under one of the sinks. "Matt...thew!" He wheezed. "You need…need to get out of here!"

Matthew turned around, red in the face from crying. He shook his head.

"Matthew, your dad isn't coming…to get you. You need…to get…out! Your Mum's wor…worried!"

Matthew shook his head again and coughed. "I-I can't! I'm scared! And Mum's going to be mad at me, she isn't going to want me anymore!"

Mycroft started unraveling the oxygen mask and put it over Matthew's mouth. "Your mum is worried sick about you! She'll never forgive herself if you die here! Come on!"

Matthew's eyes were getting clouded. He shook his head again as it drooped towards the ground. Mycroft turned on the oxygen supply and scooped Matthew up in his arms as he staggered out of the room towards the stairs. The only thing he wouldn't give for an oxygen mask right now was taking it off Matthew and putting it on himself. He could feel his heart trying to burst out of his chest with every beat. Fire leapt at them from all sides and Mycroft got burned all down his arms and back trying to protect Matthew. He took off a shoe to open the stair door with his foot and cursed as the heat flared into his leg. Every step was painful, every breath was impossible. Mycroft could have sworn his heart stopped for a second, and winced as a burning appeared, in not just his lungs, but his heart. He was having a heart attack, and he knew it, and he also knew that carrying Matthew out would slow him down enough that he might not get the help he needed fast enough, but leaving Matthew wasn't an option, so he continued down the stairs, a permanent grimace twisting his face in a picture of torture.

When they got out in the open, Matthew was immediately taken from his arms. He undid the oxygen tank from his back as he felt his heart stop a second time. One second…nurses and doctors were surrounding him, asking if he was all right. Two seconds…everything was going dark, he couldn't do anything about it. Three seconds…someone was yelling in the distance, either to get his attention or someone else's. He couldn't tell and he couldn't care. Four seconds…

Darkness.

**Please don't murder me.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Um, I don't really have anything to say up here except brace yourselves.**

**And please don't murder me yet.**

Matthew was sort of conscious but not understanding as the whole scene unfolded. He was taken from Mycroft's arms and put onto a gurney, but he turned his head, as he was curious as to what was happening. He saw Mycroft swaying for a second, before collapsing to the ground. It looked like he wasn't breathing. Nurses and doctors swarmed around him, and someone yelled, "Someone get a defibrillator over here!"

Matthew didn't know what that meant, but the panicked tones meant it must have been nothing good. He felt a hand on his shoulder and Molly turned him away. "Matthew, don't look."

"No, Mum, I wanna see…"

"I said don't look!"

Matthew looked back over to Molly and he saw there were tears in her eyes. "Mum? What's wrong?"

Molly just shook her head. "Mum?" Matthew felt that he was starting to panic. "Mum, what's going on? Why can't I look?"

He heard someone yell "Clear!" and he turned just in time to see Mycroft jolt as electricity coursed through him and slumped down again. He looked pale, almost white. Molly turned him away again, but Matthew saw all he needed to see. "Mum, is Mycroft-?"

Molly just held him tightly as they heard the nurses say "Clear!" 2 more times. Then there was silence. Matthew dared to take a peek. The nurses and doctors were moving away, all except one, who was covering him up in a blanket. "M-Mum…"

Molly held him close and cried into his hair. A nurse whispered something in her ear and she cried harder. Matthew didn't do anything except think, _This is all my fault. This is all my fault!_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Um…hey. So, I'm back? Glad to see you guys didn't murder me…you might want to at the end though. As the saying about Sherlock S3 says, "Friends will welcome you back from the dead, best friends will send you back." And if you're best friends with this fic, well, you may want to send me back to be Schrodinger's Cat... *clears throat awkwardly* Uh…heheh…**

**Just read.**

Matthew was walking with Molly, holding her hand, because he didn't want to be alone since the fire. Molly was carrying flowers and was silent. Matthew had a thank-you card in hand that he wrote himself. Mycroft would have probably waved away the sentiment and turned the subject to something else. But he couldn't. Not now. Sherlock walked passed them, giving Matthew a glare that said, _This is all your fault, you idiot._ Matthew could feel he was about to cry again, and tried to dig himself into Molly's side. When Sherlock had passed them, Molly said, "Don't worry about him, Matthew, he's just upset and looking for someone to blame."

"Easy for you to say, you weren't the one who started the fire."

"Honey…" she picked Matthew up and held him at eye-level. "This isn't your fault. It's very easy to believe your father, even when he's lying. I'm just sorry you had to realize his true intentions this way."

Matthew nodded and hugged Molly as she kept walking. Eventually they reached the hospital door leading to Mycroft's room. Molly put Matthew down as they walked in. Mycroft's heart had stopped for 3 minutes before they managed to start it up again, and he'd been a coma for a week now afterwards. Not dead, but death had almost gotten him, and Matthew felt horrible for it every minute of every hour since. Molly put the flowers in a vase on his bedside, and Matthew put the card right in front of it. Molly kissed Mycroft on the forehead and checked the monitors reading his vitals. Matthew didn't need to know what they said to know what they meant. The doctor's looks to each other in the hallway as they recognized the visitors said volumes. They didn't know when he'd wake up. Matthew climbed into the chair next to Mycroft's bed and took off his new backpack (the old one wasn't completely destroyed, but it was burned enough to be an emergencies-only-backup,) and pulled out a piece of paper carefully folded in thirds. He started to read it, quietly at first, slightly embarrassed, but gaining courage the more he read. It was a story he made up himself, about a knight who didn't use strength or armor to win battles, but his brain and his words, and who saved a stupid prince who thought he could help the queen by working with a dragon to try and get her to fall in love, but the prince underestimated the power of the dragon, who started to burn down the castle. By the time he was done, Molly had pulled another chair in the room and was sitting and listening to him. Molly smiled as he looked up. "That was a nice story, Matthew."

A scratchy voice next to him said, "I'd have to agree."

The two turned to see Mycroft's eyes half open, and focused on Matthew. He tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Could you pass me some water?"

Molly got up and held a cup with a straw in it up to his lips. Mycroft drank it until Molly pulled back and Mycroft sighed. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A week," Matthew said. "I'm really sorry."

Mycroft tried to shake his head but looked like he might black out and stopped. "It's not…your fault." He looked down at his scarred hands and gave them a stretch. "I really messed…myself up, didn't I?" he rasped out a laugh that turned into a coughing fit. He groaned and closed his eyes. "I kinda…want to sleep some more…if you guys wouldn't mind…letting the doctors know…I was up?"

Molly nodded and kissed him again. Matthew left his story next to his card on the table and said, "Next time you're up, you can look at them if you want."

Mycroft smiled. "Thank you."

Matthew nodded and slid off the chair. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"It's really…not your fault. Now hush…I want to sleep…"

Molly walked out with Matthew, letting the doctors know Mycroft was up, and left, Molly wanting to get home and call everyone immediately about the great news. Matthew smiled for the first time in a long time, knowing somewhere deep down that despite his screw-ups, he had completed his mission. Molly and Mycroft were going to be together forever.

**I have a few wrap-up chapters after this, but this is the end of the big plot in the story. Not that I'm saying you should stop, but you wouldn't be missing too too much if you did.**

**Update: I forgot to say that the Guest who guessed Matthew was singing the song Papaoutai by Stromae was right! *throws confetti***


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Did I have you guys going there before? I'm sorry, the temptation was too strong to resist. But it gets better from here, rest assured!**

Molly and Matthew came back Wednesday to see how much Mycroft had improved. When they walked in, he was complaining to a nurse about having to wear a hospital gown instead of his own clothes, so both of them figured he was going to be just fine. He noticed them and waved the nurse off, moving his bed so he could sit up a little better. Molly gave him a quick kiss. "How're you feeling, love?"

"Much better, thank you. Though I'm probably not getting released until the end of the week, and that's being unrealistically optimistic, if you ask me."

"But you're talking, and sitting…sort of. And mums before they're mums sometimes have to sit around and do nothing for a long time because their doctors tell them to. What makes this different?" Matthew asked.

Mycroft rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and pretended to think. "Let me see…the fact that I died for 3 minutes may have something to do with it."

Matthew blushed and scratched the back of his head, but Mycroft cut in before he could say anything. "But don't you dare say that you're sorry. I'm the idiot who chose to run into a burning building."

Matthew shook his head. "You're not an idiot!"

"Then neither are you, agreed?"

Matthew thought about it a moment then nodded.

Mycroft smiled. "Good. Now, Molly, if you wouldn't mind, I want to talk to Matthew alone for a minute."

Molly nodded hesitantly and went right outside the room, closing the door behind her. Mycroft gestured for Matthew to sit in the chair next to him. He obliged. "Matthew, I've had time for a lot of thinking being trapped in this bed for days, and during that time, I've come to a few conclusions. When I heard there was a fire at Bart's, I thought my heart would stop. Not literally, like it actually did, but you know like when you get scared during a movie and it feels like everything stops before it starts up again?" Matthew nodded. Mycroft continued, "I didn't know then, but I think I realize now, that I love your Mum. I ran over there. I didn't get a cab or anything, I actually ran down the sidewalk to make sure both of you were okay. And when I heard you were still inside the hospital, I felt there was no other option but to go inside myself and get you out. And with your permission, I'd like to ask your mum to marry me. I know I probably can't replace your dad-"

"Please don't replace my dad," Matthew said. "You're nice and you don't try to trick me and you make Mum happy, not scared or sad or lonely. I don't need another bad person in my life. I want you the way you are now. Not like, trapped in bed, but nice."

Mycroft smiled. "Should I take that as a yes?"

Matthew nodded and crushed Mycroft in a hug. "Yes, yes, an infinity times yes!"

"Infinity isn't actually a number you can multiply."

"Don't care."

"Matthew, I did get burned on my back too, you know."

Matthew stopped hugging him. "Sorry!"

"You apologize a lot."

Matthew smiled, embarrassed. Molly walked back in. "Make up?"

"We were never fighting, I just needed to ask Matthew a secret question."

Molly gave him a look. "What sort of secret question?"

Mycroft looked over to Matthew. "Should we tell her?"

Matthew shook his head and giggled. Molly rolled her eyes. "I'll find out sooner or later, you two."

"Oh, I have no doubt you will." Mycroft winked at Matthew.

Molly sighed and smiled. "Glad to see you two are really starting to get along, even if it is to gang up against me."

Matthew looked between the two of them, smiling. "You two really do love each other, huh?"

Molly looked at Mycroft, and Mycroft looked back at her, a smile pulling at his lips. Neither of them said anything. They didn't have to. The answer was quite obviously yes.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Just about ready to wrap everything up, folks! Just 2-3 more chapters and an epilogue, and we'll be all done. ='( Hope you like the rest!**

Matthew was looking out the window of Molly's car. She, Mycroft, and himself were driving through the countryside outside all civilization to get to a picnic spot that Mycroft knew and thought they might like. It had been a month since Mycroft was released from the hospital, and he was now trying to be a little more active without spurring on another heart attack. Matthew knew the real reason they were coming out here, though. It was a week and a half after Molly and Matthew had visited Mycroft and Mycroft asked Matthew's permission to marry Molly when he was ready. Matthew and Mycroft were alone in the room once again, this time with Mycroft's laptop, scrolling through pictures of engagement rings and photo shopping the ones they liked into the perfect one for Molly. It wound up being a fairly simple golden ring, with a little twist near the diamond. They had it ordered and had worked to pull everything together. Now all that had to happen was for Molly to say _yes._

Matthew kept looking out the window, but saw Mycroft give him a look in the side mirror. Matthew nodded. He was ready, but he wouldn't say a word. Mycroft smiled at him and pulled to the side of the road. "It's a bit of a hike to the spot, but if no one minds, it shouldn't be more than 15 minutes."

Molly looked back at Matthew, and he shrugged. They all got out and started walking. They walked over a small hill to reach a larger one with nothing but the country and the road for quite a ways out. Molly looked around at the view and couldn't help but smile a little bit-it felt really nice being alone with the two boys she loved the most in the world. Mycroft set down the picnic basket and they all sat down. The lunch itself was on the small side, with a sandwich for each of them, and then a bunch of miscellaneous snacks and then 3 giant chocolate chip cookies. Matthew got chocolate all over his face, and proceeded to try to lick it all off, Mycroft continuously saying, "You missed a spot," and poking him hard in the face wherever the chocolate was.

Molly watched all of this smiling. She was worried about how Matthew and Mycroft would get along after everything, and if either of them decided they wouldn't try to make up. But they seemed to click, thankfully. And Mycroft said to her on more than one occasion that he considered Matthew like a son he never had. She continued to watch them as Mycroft pulled a football out of the basket and they started to kick it around as it rolled down the hill. She couldn't hear the conversation that they had at the bottom when they caught up to the rouge sports equipment.

"I think it's time, do you?" Mycroft asked nervously.

Matthew looked up at Molly watching them. "Yeah. She's seemed really happy. Not just today, either. I think she really loves you."

Mycroft looked down at Matthew and smiled. "I hope so. That last thing I want is to ask and have her say no."

"Well, it's just a word, isn't it?"

"Yeah, just a word. But a word that says so many things beyond, no, I don't want to marry you. It's saying that you're not the one she wants to spend the rest of your life with when she says that," Mycroft had a far off look in his eyes before snapping back into the present. "But, with luck, she will say yes, and I won't have to deal with what happens if she says no."

"What happens?" Matthew asked, curious.

"Usually an awkward period before we start going our own way or continue dating, during which I tend to stay home and watch reruns of Doctor Who while contemplating how I go about continuing to know the person."

"This has happened before for you?"

Mycroft nodded. "Once."

"And she said…no?"

Mycroft nodded. "Then she said yes. Then…unfortunately…she died."

Matthew looked petrified. "That's not going to happen if Mum says yes, will it?!"

Mycroft looked down at Matthew and shook his head. "No, I don't think I'm cursed or anything like that. If I were, I'd stay away from your mum. I don't want her to get hurt."

Matthew nodded, fear replaced with determination. "Then go! Propose to her! It's obvious she'll say yes!"

Mycroft blinked. "It…it is?"

Matthew nodded. "Well, yeah. I think she's been wondering if you ever would!" He started to push Mycroft up the hill. "Do it! Before she decides you won't and she starts to move on! Go go go!"

"Matthew, that doesn't happen in 5 minutes."

"No, but it can happen in a few weeks, which is how long she's been extra happy! Move it!"

Mycroft laughed and started to walk up the hill while Matthew grabbed the soccer ball and started running up the hill after him. Molly smiled when they reached the top. "Are you okay, Mycroft?"

Mycroft nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just…Matthew can run."

Molly laughed. "Well, if you wanted to know that, I would've happily told you! Are you saying you're ready to go?"

Matthew came up the hill and put the ball away, pulling out a ring box from the picnic basket without Molly noticing. "Not exactly," Mycroft said. "Matthew?"

Matthew came over with the ring box and handed it to Mycroft. "There's one last thing I want to do." He got down on one knee and opened the box. "Molly Hooper, will you please-"

He didn't get to finish the question. Molly hugged him so tight he was worried his rib cage might crack. "Yes! Oh my…! Yes!"

Matthew looked at them, smiling. Then, when it looked like Molly might hug Mycroft forever, he said, "Mum, Mycroft looks like he might turn blue soon, you might want to let him go."

Molly instantly took a step back concerned as Mycroft took a big gulp of air and started to cough. He took a few steadying breaths and smiled up at her. "-Marry me?"

Molly nodded and gave him another hug, careful to let him breathe this time. Matthew came up next to them and tried to decide what to do. To the best of his knowledge, a lot of the time there wasn't a third person in the group that had the proposal. He started clapping awkwardly and Molly laughed. Letting Mycroft go and finally letting him stand up she turned to Matthew asking, "Feeling like a bit of a third wheel, honey?"

Matthew nodded. Mycroft rolled his eyes. "Well, that could be because a proposal is designed for two people, not three."

Molly whacked him. "Don't be mean to him, when we get married he's going to be your son too."

"Exactly. So I'm treating him like I'd treat my own son."

"Shut up," Molly said, ready to laugh again.

Mycroft slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. "Fine. But I do have one question first."

Molly looked at him sternly. "One question."

Mycroft turned to Matthew. "Do you want to be the best man and make a speech, or do you want to be the one I'll trust the rings with before the whole thing starts?"

Matthew instantly said, "I'll keep the rings. I have a new secret place where I keep everything safe that you'll never figure out!"

"Under the pillow?" Mycroft asked.

Molly whacked him. "You! One question! That does not mean one and then a follow-up!"

Matthew laughed. Molly whacked him too. "I'm going to be babysitting both of you soon enough," she muttered. But she was smiling as she said it.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Wow, guys. 11 chapters. I'm getting a little over the top with this "short" fic, eh? Well. Anyway…time to go into battle.**

Mycroft was standing in front of a mirror untying and retying his black tie, never quite satisfied with how it looked. Sherlock walked into the room, saw what he was doing, and forcibly stopped his hands from twitching. "Stop it. If you keep that up, there'll be no more tie to use. Exactly how long have you been doing that?"

Mycroft opened his mouth to say something, but Matthew piped up from the back of the room. "22 minutes!"

Sherlock nodded at him and narrowed his eyes at Mycroft. "22. Minutes. Pull it together! You and Molly will be fine! I'm more worried about how Matthew will react, and he's the one who wanted you two to get together in the first place!"

"It's true, I did," Matthew said from the corner. He was in a small tux with a bow tie that he was trying to sell to all the adults who would be at the wedding. And when anyone asked him why he was dressed so nicely, he had prepared his three word response. _Chicks dig it._ "And I've been trying to tell you the entire time you look fine!"

Sherlock looked at Mycroft triumphantly. "Even the 5-year-old agrees."

Mycroft glared at Matthew. "Thank you so much for helping me here," he said with deep sarcasm.

"You're welcome!" Matthew chirped.

Sherlock made Mycroft focus on him again. "You're tie is as straight as it will ever be, your suit is ready to be put on a mannequin, you've been ready to go out for 20 minutes at least! More knowing how quickly you can tie a tie! Do you have the rings?"

Mycroft turned to Matthew, and he brought them up. Sherlock clapped Mycroft on the shoulders. "Good. Now get out there, the service is starting in 10 minutes!"

Mycroft paled at that remark and quickly left the room, leaving Sherlock and Matthew to walk behind him. "It's not really starting in 10 minutes, is it?"

"No, but with the way he's panicking, if he doesn't leave now he'll be late."

Matthew smiled. "He's really ridiculous when he's nervous."

"He is."

The lapsed into silence. "Was Mum nervous when you went to see her?"

"Nervous is an understatement. She looked like she might get sick."

"But…they'll be okay?"

Sherlock nodded. "Should be. They both work well under pressure. For the most part," he added as they came across Mycroft pale as a sheet in the middle of the hallway and proceeded to lead him to where he was to wait. "Every once in a while there are those times when they need a little nudge."

"Like I gave them?"

"Like you gave them," Sherlock confirmed. "Now, let's figure out where you should sit so you can make sure neither of them goof anything up."

Matthew smiled. "Because everyone knows they're going to need that."

* * *

The service itself was somewhat small, as a lot of people Molly and Mycroft both knew, and there were only a few others Mycroft invited out of pure politeness, who also politely declined. Mycroft glanced around to see the who was in the crowd: his family, Molly's family, John and Mary, Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, and a few others in the back. And, of course, front row dead center was Matthew, smiling at him encouragingly. The music started to play and Mycroft watched nervously as first Molly's best friend Meena walked down the aisle, and then Molly walked down, stunning in her traditional dress. Mycroft started to fuss over his cuff links, feeling his ears turn pink. Sherlock elbowed him and quietly hissed, "Stop that."

Mycroft tried to still his hands, but couldn't until Molly was right next to him, when she grabbed them to keep him steady. The service was a blur, all he could focus on was Molly smiling softly at him and tapping _I love you_ on his palm in Morse code. When it came time to say the vows, Mycroft could barely find the strength to say "I do," but when he did, Molly smiled brighter than he'd ever seen her, and she immediately said "I do," as well without hesitation.

The kiss after was, to everyone watching, what they thought true love looked like in the real world. There was some hesitation, some nervousness, and it was by no means perfect, but it looked as if it were almost second nature to the couple; like they were, to use the old cliché, two pieces of the same puzzle. Matthew clapped loudest of all when it happened, not caring if he got funny looks. To see the two loneliest people he'd met be happy with each other made him feel like he could fly all the way to the moon and back. He'd done his job better than he could have hoped.

**One more chapter and an epilogue, then we're done. I promise.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Welp, I have this chapter and then I have an epilogue… Thank you to everyone who has come this far with me in the story, and a special thank you to Empire of Fiction, for planting this seed in my head. Writing this has gotten me out of many a funk. I hope this turned out to be everything you were hoping for! Now…without further ado…let's find out what happened to the British Government and his "goldfishes," so to speak.**

3 months after the wedding was when Matthew noticed Molly getting sick a lot in the morning. He went in to the bathroom one morning to ask if she was okay, and she waved him off, claiming it was probably just something she ate. Matthew left her alone, knowing that while she was lying, she wasn't about to tell him the truth, either. Matthew went into her bedroom, where Mycroft was getting dressed, having successfully moved in without disturbing Molly's clothes as of yesterday. "Mycroft, I think something's wrong with Mum."

Mycroft hummed distractedly as he buttoned up his shirt and pulled on his pants. "She just has a bit of a stomach bug, Matt. Blue or green tie today, do you think?"

"Green. But Mum—"

"Green. Right. Now, if I can only find where I put it…"

"Dad! Listen to me!"

Mycroft stopped and stared at Matthew and it took Matthew a second to register exactly why he now had Mycroft's attention. Then it hit. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. That's a new nickname. What's the story behind this one? I bet it's better than the one behind 'Umbrella Man.' Honestly, Sherlock is never going to let me live that down."

Matthew shook his head. "It just…came out. But listen. I think there's something wrong with Mum!"

"She just said it's a bug or something she ate, and to not worry."

"But it's been going on for at least a week!"

"A…week?" Mycroft said, suddenly paling.

Matthew nodded. "Probably longer. She only knows I've heard her today."

Mycroft rushed to his suit coat, pulling out a little pocket calendar, and looked for the red dot. It was marked 2 weeks ago. Mycroft took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Matthew, I wouldn't worry."

"Why? She's been throwing up for at least a week every morning!"

"Well, yes, but that's called morning sickness. It's a side effect of-"

"-Being pregnant," Molly finished for him. "Surprise," she smiled.

Mycroft sighed weakly and Matthew looked between him and Molly. "Pregnant? Does that mean…what does that mean?"

"It means, Matt," Mycroft said, "That in about 9 months or so you're going to have a brother or sister."

Matthew's eyes widened. "Really?!"

Molly smiled. "Really. Though that means for a lot of that time I'm going to be sick at one point or another."

"And she's going to look like…" Mycroft stopped at Molly's glare. "Like…like…someone beautiful who I love…"

"Uh huh," Molly said.

"Mum, I've seen pictures of when you were pregnant with me, why won't you just let him say you'll look really happy?"

Molly looked down at Matthew and said, "Because he wasn't going to say that. He said I was going to look like a hippopotamus with a gland problem."

"Though not in so many words," Mycroft said.

"Right, you were going to call me fat."

Matthew looked at Mycroft with his jaw slack. "You were going to call Mum fat?!"

Mycroft winced. "I wasn't going to say the word 'fat'! I was going to say 'like she was carrying around a bowling ball' which isn't much better, I know, but…at least I'm not saying 'fat,' right?"

Matthew looked at him skeptically. "You're out of your depth, Dad."

Mycroft sighed. "I know."

* * *

7 months later…

Molly was screaming at the top of her lungs in a hospital bed. The nurses couldn't find the anesthesiologist so Molly decided to do the pregnancy without it as naturally as she could, which involved a lot of screaming, cursing, and bruising Mycroft's arm. Matthew was sitting outside the room, trying to figure out why exactly he wasn't allowed in, but when one of the nurses ran out as a contraction hit and Molly let loose a string of especially bad swears, he could safely guess.

After a few hours during which he figured out exactly how many days it would take until he was 6 (43) how much Mycroft's arm probably hurt (judging by Molly's grip and tendency to grip in the same place, he probably thought the bone was ready to snap) and the probability he'd have to wait overnight for this to be over (36%) Mycroft walked out of the room saying that Matthew could come in. He walked in almost worried about what he'd find. But all he saw was Molly lying in the hospital bed, exhausted, and holding a little pink blanket. "She was a little early," Molly muttered, clearly not noticing Matthew.

"She was, but she made it, didn't she?" Mycroft said.

Molly nodded, letting her gaze fall to Matthew for the first time. Matthew walked closer. "She…I have a sister?"

Molly nodded. "We were thinking about calling her Shirley. Does that work for you?"

Matthew nodded. "Can I see her?"

Mycroft picked him up so he could get a better look at the bundle in Molly's arms. The baby was all pink and wrinkly, but to Matthew she was the most beautiful thing in the world. "Welcome to the family, Shirley," he whispered.

The baby moved her head slightly towards Matthew's voice, as if trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. He smiled. "I like her already," he decided.

"Good, so no trying to mail her to Australia no matter how much she cries later," Mycroft teased.

"Mycroft," Molly scolded.

"What? I tried that on Sherlock when I was just 2 years older than Matthew here, sibling rivalry knows no age."

"Mycroft!"

"All right, all right. I'll take Matthew home. You rest."

Molly nodded and leaned her head against the pillows.

Matthew looked back to her room as he and Mycroft were walking out. "Mum will be coming home, right?"

"Oh yeah, they just need to make sure Shirley's all right and that Molly's okay, and then she'll be coming right home."

"Okay," then, "Do babies really cry a lot?"

Mycroft laughed. "Oh yeah."

Matthew groaned.


	13. Epilogue

**A/N: All right, guys, this is it, I'm afraid. The ending. It was so fun to write this, and if you want to see anything else in this 'verse, then just shoot me a request by PM, or in a review on either this story or The Mollcroft Files, and I'd be more than happy to do it. But for now, this story needs a good old-fashioned ending.**

"Daaaad!" a high-pitched voice from the kitchen yelled. "DadDadDadDadDad!"

Mycroft sighed and folded up his newspaper, "Yes? Yesyesyesyesyes?"

Shirley Holmes held up a wedding picture showing Molly and Mycroft, with Matthew out of focus in the back. "Was Matt at yours and Mum's wedding?"

Mycroft smiled as he looked at the photo. "He was. He was the reason Mum and I got together."

Matthew, now 10, walked into the living room at the mention of his name. "What's going on?"

"Shirley was asking if you were at the wedding."

"Well of course I was stupid, I'm in the picture aren't I?"

Shirley stuck his tongue out at him. Matthew huffed and crossed his arms. Mycroft rolled his eyes at the now habitual fighting. "Both of you behave, or I won't explain the story of how your mum and I got together."

"I already know the story! I don't care about whether you tell it or not!" Matthew said.

"But your sister doesn't, and she's the same age as you were when the whole thing started. I think it's high time we told her, don't you?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just do it before Mum comes back, or she'll smack you with your own newspaper."

"Tell it, Dad! Tell it!" Shirley begged.

"Okay, I'm telling it! It all started with a Cupid named Matthew…"

_~End~_

**A/N: That's all you guys! Thank you to everyone of you who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed! You guys are the reason I write these! If you want more Mollcroft, I always have The Mollcroft Files, and then I have another story on AO3 called Ghosts of Times Long Past, and if enough people ask (AKA 1 person) I'll start posting it here too. Thank you all once again!**

**~shnuffeluv**


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